Christmas creches, big and small, help symbolize the holiday

Republican photo by Mark M. MurrayA hand carved Nativity set made from Bethlehem olive wood, on display at the St. Stanislaus School library

While some Christians bedeck their properties with light-up reindeer and snowmen and inflatable Santas, others continue to carry on a Christmas tradition that’s been around for generations.

Nativity sets, or crèches, decorate mantels, tables and lawns this time of year, symbolizing for Christians what Christmas is all about.

Nativity scenes and sets are three-dimensional representations of the birth of Jesus Christ.

The nativity concept dates back to the year 1223 with St. Francis of Assisi in the town of Greccio, in Italy, according to the Rev. Michael Zielke at the Basilica of St. Stanislaus in Chicopee.

“Francis knew the world was getting a little cold (in terms of beliefs), and they were trying to understand the mystery of Christmas,” Zielke said.

“A holy man in the town with the name of John said, ‘We need to reinvigorate people, and put the flame back in people’s hearts to understand Christmas. Let’s re-enact Bethlehem.’”

Republican photo by Mark M. MurrayA Nativity set on display in the lobby of the St. Stanislaus School.

The townspeople brought in their animals and a doll to represent the baby Jesus. There was a priest to celebrate Mass, and St. Francis sang the gospel and preached a beautiful homily to make it come alive, Zielke said.

“Some people say, at that celebration that during the Mass, the lifeless child became the living infant Jesus,” Zielke said. “It’s such a great devotion in the hearts of the townspeople and they wanted to recreate that year after year.”

The tradition took off like wildfire, with each culture adapting the manger scene in its own ways.

Today, in Greccio, there is a church which contains a museum featuring Christmas crèches from all over the world.

The Somers (Conn.) Congregational Church has a display this year with more than 350 nativity scenes.

Today’s nativity sets are made from a wide variety of materials, including wood, stone, plastic and paper.

Zielke said the materials used often depend on what’s available in a specific area of the world.

“In the Holy Land they have them out of olive wood because that’s the local wood,” he said. “People have also used seeds where seeds are important. It’s amazing how people have adapted the scene to what is local to them.”

Christians often keep nativity sets in the family, treasuring them and passing them down generation to generation.
For Anna Daniele, owner of LaFiorentina Pastry Shop in Springfield’s South End, the nativity set is a tradition.
She said she always has a nativity on display in her shop in Springfield’s South End during the December holiday season.

“We are Roman Catholic and believe in Christmas and everything that comes with it,” said Daniele, adding that the figures seated before a tree sometimes can be rearranged by young customers.

Zielke said the nativity is something tangible for believers.

“When you talk about the mystery of the incarnation, it makes it real again,” he said. “How do you comprehend the incomprehensible? So you do something that you can see and touch and feel. These scenes lift us. They help us understand the mystery of Christmas.”